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Biomedical subjects

J M Holahan

Publications and source records attributed to J M Holahan.

6 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Discrepancy compared to low achievement definitions of reading disability: results from the Connecticut Longitudinal Study.

We used data derived from a survey sample, the Connecticut Longitudinal Study (CLS), to compare two commonly employed definitions of reading disability: a discrepancy-based model (D) and a low reading achievement model (L). We identified children satisfying each definition in second grade and compared the groups retrospectively in kindergarten and prospectively in fifth grade using parent-based, teacher-based, and child-based measures. Our findings suggest more similarities than differences between the reading disabled groups. The most salient differences were those related to ability and seem inherent in the definitions of the groups: Children identified as D have significantly higher verbal, performance, and full scale IQ scores than those identified as L. These findings suggest that both groups of children with reading disability, that is, those defined by either D or L, should be considered eligible for special education services.

Achievement↗
PubMed1990

Heavy drinking and its correlates in young men.

This study examined the drinking behavior of a sample of 98 college men and the relationship to drinking of a variety of subject variables. The subjects reported drinking an average of nearly eight days a month, about five drinks each time, and were intoxicated more than three times monthly. Nearly half reported having experienced two or more drinking-related adverse consequences within the past year and over a third were intoxicated four or more times monthly. Forty percent of the subjects could be described as problem drinkers. Illicit drug use and the disinhibition factor of the sensation seeking scale were the most consistent correlates of drinking behavior and its adverse consequences, although belonging to a fraternity, consuming alcohol/drugs before age 15, the Macandrew Alcoholism Scale score, and a family member having received alcoholism treatment were also found to be consistently associated with drinking in the subjects. Sociodemographic characteristics, physical health, mental health treatment, childhood behavior problems, adolescent antisocial behavior, and familial alcoholism were by and large not found to be related to drinking behavior. A stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that five variables accounted for 51% of the total variance in drinking behavior. The significant predictors included a heavy drug use factor, a smoking factor, fraternity membership, drug/alcohol use before age 15, and having a family member who had received alcoholism treatment. Thus, four of the five significant predictor variables were reflective of drug use in the subject or his family. The findings underline the need for further prospective longitudinal research to understand the origins of problem drinking and its relationship to alcoholism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1990

Cognitive functioning and treatment outcome in alcoholics.

The primary objective of this study was to determine whether cognitive functioning at intake into treatment was associated with completion of a 30-day day hospital alcoholism rehabilitation program and 1- and 6-month posttreatment functioning. None of our measures of sociodemographic characteristics, cognitive functioning, and life functioning was found to be significantly correlated with program completion. The measures of cognitive functioning included four cognitive factors--language ability, auditory verbal learning, logical memory, and complex cognitive functioning--as well as an objective measure of within-treatment learning. Canonical correlation analyses were performed to estimate associations among 14 independent variables and seven measures of both 1- and 6-month follow-up outcomes. The independent variables included the five cognitive measures described above, race and age, and seven baseline Addiction Severity Index (ASI) interviewer ratings of severity of alcohol, drug, family/social, legal, medical, employment, and psychological/psychiatric problem levels. The dependent variables at each follow-up evaluation point consisted of the difference between the baseline and follow-up ASI composite (factor) scores in the seven areas of functioning described above. The findings revealed the relative independence of improvement in alcohol problem level at both followup periods, as contrasted with the relative interdependence of the other areas of functioning. Greater baseline alcohol problems and poorer complex cognitive functioning were most consistently associated with improved alcohol-related outcome. Other cognitive measures ere not significantly associated with treatment outcome in the other areas of functioning described above.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗
PubMed1989

Predictors of alcoholics' acquisition of treatment-related knowledge.

Only modest relationships have been found between cognitive functioning and treatment outcome; there is some indication of better prediction of within-treatment progress. The current study attempted to determine whether either cognitive or sociodemographic/alcohol-related variables were predictive of learning in educational treatment. Eighty-seven male alcoholics were exposed to one hour of instruction on the medical effects of alcohol. Sociodemographic, alcohol-related, and cognitive functioning measures were obtained at the outset of treatment. Knowledge was assessed 24 hours prior to and 24 hours and three weeks after the intervention. Statistically significant increases in knowledge were found both 24 hours and three weeks following the educational intervention; retention of information declined significantly from 24 hours to three weeks post-intervention. Discriminant function analyses using either seven cognitive variables or six alcohol-related/sociodemographic variables significantly discriminated between learners and nonlearners 24 hours after the intervention. The weighted composite of measures in each of the analyses was able to successfully differentiate learners from nonlearners in over 70% of the cases. The findings suggest that the clinician may be able to employ a limited number of variables to differentiate between patients who will and will not be able to acquire knowledge from educational interventions.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Epilepsy in children with attention deficit disorder: cognitive, behavioral, and neuroanatomic indices.

Our study examined the hypothesis that if epilepsy adversely influences the cognitive and behavioral performance of children, then children with both attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and epilepsy (ADHD-Sz) should exhibit more severe cognitive and behavioral difficulties and be more likely to demonstrate abnormalities on cranial computed tomography than ADHD children without epilepsy. We compared ADHD-Sz and ADHD patients using a variety of psychologic, behavioral, and educational measures, as well as cranial computed tomography. ADHD-Sz children scored significantly below the ADHD group on the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (performance and full scale scores). In both ADHD-Sz and ADHD groups, the prevalence of learning disabilities (LD) and a variety of behavioral features were similar. Neither seizure disorder nor ADHD was associated with an increased incidence of structural abnormalities or asymmetries of the brain. These findings support the belief that epilepsy adversely affects IQ but does not appear to affect the prevalence of LD or behavioral abnormalities in ADHD children. They further support the accumulating body of data demonstrating normal brain anatomy in ADHD by computed tomography.

Adolescent↗